May
26
The uninformed masses take on the MTA
ByNew Yorkers love to complain about the MTA, and no matter how little people know about the situation, they always think they know better than those in charge. In the past, I’ve taken on seemingly ignorant commenters on The Times’ City Room blog. Over the weekend, The Post gave us another gift: Unedited comments sent to the MTA via its website.
The comments — printed here for our viewing pleasure — are priceless. The MTA chiefs are called “morons,” “nimrods,” “thieves” and various other R-rated honorariums. Someone complains about missing the AirTrain because he or she forget to check the E train service advisories. Another bemoans a stench found in a station staircase without identifying the station in question. Others are proclaiming the eight percent fare hike as “literally taking food off my table.”
It is a true stereotype that New Yorkers love to complain. Generally, they do so with limited knowledge of the situation, and the MTA is no example. There are genuine reasons to complain about the MTA just as there are genuine reasons to praise it. But when the murmuring crowd is mostly ignorant, few are going to listen.
ShareTweet
How ironic for The Post to point out the lack of quality discourse the public offers at someone else’s website.
The part about taking food off the table is probably true. New York is an exceptionally poor city. It’s also characterized by high rents and low transportation costs; whereas in other cities a poor family can drive less or ride public transit to cut down on costs, in New York the poor can only make room for more money by reducing their food budget.
I feel that if the MTA would just come up with a better website and provide this info then maybe people wouldn’t be so down on the MTA